Of Hair and Hot Springs
by Snickerdoodle10
Summary: A night of relaxing into the hot springs turn dangerous when Kagome runs into an enemy. Wait. She's braiding his hair? Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Of Hair and Hot Springs

It was just another evening in the feudal era for the group, or was it.

"Hey guys I am going to take a bath do you want to come with me Sango-chan?"

"No that is okay, go ahead without me."

"Ok," Kagome grabbed her bag and walked off in the direction of the hot springs. She reached the springs and placed her bathing supplies in reach of the springs. She undressed and she folded her clothes and placed them on a nearby rock so that they would not get dirty.

She slowly lowered herself into the springs, and relaxed as the water soothed her muscles. She dunked her head under the water to get her hair wet and grabbed the shampoo and poured some into her hand. She started to work it into her hair when she was done she started to rinse her hair.

Suddenly she heard a noise that was not cause by an animal. "Who's there?" Kagome demanded.

She waited until she heard, "Well if it isn't Inuyasha's wench."

She tensed in fear when she saw Bankotsu before she registered what he called her, "My name is Kagome not wench Ka-go-me get it right. Wait," she said realizing where they were, "get out of here I'm bathing." She quickly lowered herself down in the water to cover herself.

"I am allowed to bathe here too."

"You want to kill me," she accused him.

"I won't kill you or harm you while we are here," he promised.

"How do I know that you will keep your word?"

"I swear that I will not harm you on my halberd."

'Well he is serious about his halberd so I know that he will not break his word.' Kagome thought before answering. "Alright but go over there," she pointed to the other side of the hot springs, "and don't look."

"I can turn around but I don't know why it matters you dress like you don't care for modesty."

"Why you," Kagome snarled angrily before she huffed in frustration, "for your information everyone dresses like I do where I am from. Plus it's modest compared to some of the things other girls COUGHslutsCOUGH wear."

"Oh really and where are you from?" he asked curiously. While they talked he set his halberd down and got undressed.

"Somewhere far away."

"How far?"

"Really far away."

It was silent for a moment as Kagome finished rinsing the shampoo out of her hair and Bankotsu debated whether or not to press her further for answers. He then just turned away from her and pulled off his pants and started to unbraid his hair.

Kagome seeing him unbraid his hair she got the courage to ask him something she had been thinking about for a while. "Can I wash your hair and braid it?"

He turned his head toward her surprised but aware of his condition. "Why?" he asked puzzled.

"Because I'm curious to see if it is soft or not and I kind of want to play with it."

He looked at her with eyebrows raised but shrugged his shoulders, "alright as long as you don't pull my hair out or something."

"Don't worry I won't." She walked closer to him, "hand me the braid and get in." He complied brushing the braid back over his shoulder and stepping into the water without turning around. She finished unbraiding his hair. "Will you get your hair wet for me," she asked.

He nodded so Kagome went back to where her bag was and grabbed the shampoo and poured some on her hand. She went back to where Bankotsu was waiting and started to lather the shampoo into hair.

"What are you washing my hair with?"

"It is called shampoo and I got it from my village it is used to wash hair. It is scented a little but I try not to keep really smelling ones because demons can smell it. This one is called rain so it shouldn't make you smell like a girl."

"Interesting, I like the smell of rain so it is okay as long as it is not something fruity." Kagome laughed at that. "So how long have you been interested in playing with my hair?"

"The first time I saw you."

"You're kidding," his voice held a tone of disbelief.

"No I am not kidding; lean your head back and close your eyes so I can rinse your hair." He complied and she started talking again as rinsed his hair. "I thought the same thing when I saw Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older half-brother especially since it's such a pretty color. Wait here while I grab some conditioner."

"What about Inuyahsa?"

"What about him?" she asked distracted as she poured conditioner in her hand.

"Did you want to play with his hair when you first say him?"

She made her way back over to him and started to lather the conditioner in his hair as she answered. "No. The first thing I noticed about Inuyasha were his ears and I just wanted to rub them they looked so cute. I did notice his hair but it is not as long as yours and Sesshoumaru's and it does not have a pretty color like Sesshoumaru. Lean back again," as she started rinsing his hair she continued, "also Inuyasha pretty much never bathes I have to force him to wash. I don't want to play with hair like that it feels disgusting. I bet that it is because he never washes is hair that it is more of a grey color than Sesshoumaru's and it is not shiny."

"So are you saying that you only want to play with hair if it is long and shiny?"

"I guess but you and Sesshoumaru look like you actually make an effort to maintain your hair. Ok I am going to finish bathing and then I will braid your hair when you are done. "

"Good that gives me time to finish my bath."

Kagome went back to the other side of the spring where her supplies were.

"Kagome," Bankotsu asked trying to get her attention.

"Yes."

"Do you think that you would ask Inuyasha to play with his hair if he ever started to bathe more often?"

She thought about it as she poured conditioner into her hand and started to lather it in his hair. "It is possible that I would but he would never do so. I have to force him to take a bath and even I can't get him to do it that often. "

"Yeah I can tell. It's pretty obvious that he never bathes."

"What do you mean?" Kagome questioned as she rinsed her hair.

"He smells, even I can smell it and I am human."

She thought back to the first time she met him, "yeah I remember that but I guess that I have just been around him for so long that I got used to it." She shuddered as she went back to her bag to retrieve a bath sponge and her body wash. "It creeps me out everytime I think about it, where I am from people bathe every day."

"Really why do you and your village bathe every day?" Bankotsu asked with a hint of intrigue in his voice.

"Well it keeps us form smelling bad and it helps to kill germs so we do not get as sick as often. It also makes it harder for sickness to spread."

"That's smart," he nodded in approval

"Mn," Kagome responded as she got out of the hot springs and dried off before getting dressed. She retrieved her brush and she started brushing her hair. She looked away as Bankotsu also got out and dressed. She finished brushing her hair and then went and sat on the rock she had set her clothes on.

"Bankotsu sit in front of me so I can braid your hair." He did so and Kagome gathered his hair into sections and started to brush through it. Within a couple of seconds she caught a tangle.

"Ow, be careful."

"Sorry how did you hair get to be so tangled when it's braided?"

"Well I don't have a brush; I haven't had once since before I died. I try to keep it in a braid but that doesn't really help when you are washing your hair."

"Ah, well at least because you kept it braided it is not as bad as it could have been."

They spent the next little while in silence as Kagome struggled to detangle his hair. When she was done she gathered his hair and split it into three sections and started to braid. Bankotsu startled Kagome when he spoke, "Why is it that girls are so much better at braiding hair?"

"Well the majority of women have long hair and at one point we have braided our own hair many times. It is only because we have practiced braiding hair so many times we get better at it each time." Kagome quickly finished the last inch of hair, "do you have something to tie the end of the braid off?"

"No why?"

Kagome stared at him in disbelief, "why?" she asked sarcastically, "so that your braid will stay in and not fall out." She took the end of the braid and flipped it over his shoulder, "hold the end,"

He grabbed the end and turned around to look at her, "what are you doing?" he asked as she walked over to her bag.

"I am getting something to tie off the end of your braid." Kagome replied as she reached into her bag and rustled around until she found a black leather band and a black ribbon. She debated for a moment before she replaced the ribbon in the bag. She walked back over so where Bankotsu was waiting, she kneeled in front of him and took the braid back from him and tied it off. "I choose the leather band because I decided that it would suit you more. There you're finished. "

"Thank you."

"Thank you for letting me play with your hair." She then stood up preparing to braid her own hair.

"Wait."

"Yes."

"Are you going to braid your hair?"

"Yes." Kagome asked with a questioning look on her face.

"Let me braid it."

"Alright," she turned around and sat back down in front of him.

They sat in silence as Bankotsu began to braid her hair.

'Is it so bad that if feels good when he braids my hair or so enjoyable,' Kagome thought.

Bankotsu interrupted her thoughts, "you're done do you have something to tie it with?"

She nodded, "in my bag." She took the end of the braid and stood up walking over to her bag. She reached inside and pulled out a hair elastic and she quickly secured her braid. She then reached out and grabbed a blue ribbon and tied it over the elastic hiding it.

Bankotsu who had been watching her became curious, "what is that black thing you wrapped around your hair."

"Oh it's called a hair elastic there is a material inside that has the ability to stretch so it holds the hair tight."

"Weird is that something from your village?"

"Yes."

"So why do you tie the ribbon on the top of it if the braid is already secured?"

"Because people have never seen it and I don't wish to explain it over and over."

"So why don't you just use the ribbon?"

"Well somehow the women here have found a way to tie their hair with a ribbon and make it stay but I haven't figured out how they do that. Also I wash my hair every day so it is smooth unlike the women here, so the ribbons just slide out of my hair."

"I see well thank you for braiding my hair and answering my questions. I will take my leave before Inuyasha arrives." He picked up his halberd and set it on his shoulder.

"Alright and thank you for letting me play with your hair and for braiding mine."

"Sure." Bankotsu turned around and walked away. As Kagome watched him walk she saw him hesitate for a split second before turning around, "Kagome?"

"Yes?" Kagome answered with a question in her tone.

"If we meet again like this will . . . . . will you braid my hair?"

Kagome smiled and answered brightly, "of course it would be my pleasure."

"Thank you," Bankotsu turned around but Kagome could have sworn that she had seen a hint of a smile on his face.

Kagome smiled and started to hum a happy tune as she gathered all of her items and walked back to camp.


End file.
